WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS The History of the Jingle Dance

WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS Noojim Owin : The Gift of the Healing Dance, the Jingle Dance

JOANNE RESTOULE · CULTURAL PRESENTER

According to Oral History over 100 years ago, it

is said that a vision or a dream came to the Anishnabe people. In this vision or dream, a man of the village saw four women, who appeared wearing distinctive dresses in red, yellow, green, and blue. The dresses were covered in shiny metal cones that made a great sound as the women danced. The woman held themselves in an upright manner and danced in a circle, as the sun travels across the sky, carrying a bag filled with the sacred medicines. This vision was transformed into reality, the women of the village were called together (the Healing Warrior Women) and they worked preparing the dresses as they had appeared in this sacred vision. The people gathered in the village and the singers began to sing for the women who were wearing the sacred dresses. Very gently they stepped onto the earth and began to dance. The man who had been gifted this vision was in attendance with his family, and his youngest child, a daughter, who had taken very ill. As the dancers made their way around the centre in a circle stepping gently upon the earth, it is said that the young girl sat up and began to watch the dancers. In time it is said that she stood up and very slowly made her way towards the group of women and joined them in the sacred dance. This is a time in our history where we witnessed the healing energy of this sacred dance and vision…. which is why it is known as the Healing Dance. In broader terms we can now see how the Healing Dance—now known as the Jingle Dance—has been sent to us as a gift from the Great Mystery Kitchi Manidoo. Sent at a time in our history when there was great suffering and uncertainty. At this time our people were being greatly impacted by the Spanish Flu and many of our relatives were travelling to the “Other Side”. The gift of the Healing Dance-Jingle Dance allows us to open our minds and our hearts, to believe in the mystery and energy of healing as part of the strengths we have been given to use on our life journey. The resurgence of the Healing Dance-Jingle Dance comes to us at a time where we are once again facing great uncertainty. The gift of the Healing Dance is here to help guide us into the teachings of the Sacred Circle, where we have been taught that we “are all One” and to support one another in all ways, to live the Good Life Teachings. We have been told by our Ancestors that when we dance, "we dance for the people”.

Noojim Owin / The Gift of The Healing Dance – When We Dance, We Dance For the People

is being presented at Comox Valley Art Gallery until February 14. This Community Cultural Revitalization Project is part of the convergent program Where You Are / CVAG Winter Incubator Labs.

IKWE NOOJIM OWIN NIIMI IDIWIN

Women’s Circle Dancers Kim McWilliam, JoAnn Restoule, Jaqueline Morgan, Gwen Monnet, Holly Douglas, Maybel McDonald, Brooke -Lin Jestico, Danielle Chartand, Serena Rotter, Jeannie McDonald, Jeannine Walker “Relevance is the key that unlocks meaning. It opens the doors to experiences that matter to us, surprise us, and bring value into our lives .”

Where You Are / CVAG Incubator Labs provides an opportunity to activate relevance in our community through cross-cultural sharing, emergent artistic practice + professional development, creative residency, inquiry based research, and innovative experimentation + creation.

www.comoxvalleyarts.com

Nathan

Age 8, born prematurely Loves dancing, singing, and making people laugh

After complications in her pregnancy, expectant mom Alyna was immediately sent to Victoria from her home in Courtenay to give birth nine weeks before her due date. And while their baby Nathan stayed in the hospital, Alyna and her husband Nick needed a place to stay. Thankfully, Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island’s home away from home, Jeneece Place, was there. The Foundation’s new home away from home, Qʷalayu House, is now open for families who need to travel to Campbell River for pediatric and maternal health care.

Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island has invested in the health of Island kids for 96 years. We touch the lives of more than 16,000 Island kids and youth each year through our homes away from home in Victoria (Jeneece Place) and Campbell River (Qʷalayu House); our Bear Essentials program, which provides direct funding to families who need financial support to meet the immediate care needs of their child; and by investing in essential community-based services, interventions, therapies, and resources that optimize the health of our children and youth.